Tips from the Attendance Clerk

Attendance

State law requires students to be in attendance at least 90% of the time to receive credit. Our campus attendance committee will review all absences not meeting the 90% requirement and determine a plan of action. In middle school, we take attendance in each class period.

Tardy to School

School starts at 8:55 a.m. The front doors open at 7:45 a.m. Students must be in class, ready to go at 8:55 a.m. Students who arrive after 8:55 a.m. are considered tardy. We must have a parent note or healthcare provider note to excuse anyone who is tardy to school. One tardy with a parent note will be excused per semester. Tardy without a note will result in the student serving detention.

Special/Pre-Planned Absences

Communication is the key. Parents may request that absences be excused for reasons other than healthcare, death in the family of immediate family members and school-sponsored trips. The district will allow a MAXIMUM of 5 days per school year for such reasons. The school principal determines whether an absence of this nature may be excused. For these type absences to be excused, parents must complete and submit the request/form to the front office, before the trip/event. Upon approval, students will take the form to teachers for signatures. Please allow at least 5 days prior to the trip for this process to take place. Forms are available on Briarhill’s website under Resources, Parents, Absence Request. They are also available in the front office.

Perfect Attendance

This is new for 2018-2019

To be considered for perfect attendance, students must be present in each class period. Students who miss partial day with a medical note are considered present.

Absences

Excused Absences- When a student misses any part of the school day, we must receive a note/parent communication to excuse the absence. According to Texas Family Code 51.03 an absence is excused when the absence results from one of the following: Illness of the child, death in the family of the child, quarantine of the child and family, weather or road conditions that make travel dangerous, and absences approved by the child’s principal. The following are exemptions to compulsory attendance requirements and will not be counted as absences with the proper documentation: Religious holy days, required court appearances, citizenship activities, healthcare appointments of the student.

All Day Absences:

Parents may phone the attendance line 469- 713-5975 (option 1) each morning of an absence or

Email clayd@lisd.net to notify us that the student will be out. Please include the student’s name, date(s) of the absence, the reason for the absence and parent’s name and phone number in your emails or

Parents may send a note with the student upon the child’s return to school.

When a medical appointment results in an entire day absent, the doctor’s note will be coded as an excused absence.

New district guidelines allow for up to 8 parent notes per year, (6 per semester) to excuse absences. Healthcare provider notes will be needed beyond this threshold.

Partial Day Absences: If your child has a medical/dental appointment which requires the student to miss part of the school day, they must bring a healthcare provider note to theoffice upon return to campus. Students who miss part of the day for documented medical reasons will be counted present for State purposes.

Unexcused Absences: If a student doesn’t submit a note within 3 days of return from the absence, the absence will be unexcused. Teachers are not required to give make-up work for unexcused absences.